Pain from miscarriage

[Lemonyfire]

Hi all
just looking for some advice/ experiences. This is my second miscarriage. My first was over 8 years ago and I remember the bleeding but not the pain. This time round I was around 6/7 weeks, I was spotting for 10 days but at the time all was fine on scans. It was confirmed not okay on Thursday and I started light bleeding no cramps. Woke up yesterday morning to pain and bleeding, the cramps worsened throughout the day to close to unmanageable ( I have endo so used to a certain level of pain anyway!) I’ve passed clots and kept bleeding and the pain is still intense today, very tight almost like contractions, I wasn’t given any info from EPU ( other than if pain or heavy bleeding to go to A&E which frankly I won’t be doing unless something goes horribly wrong as I know I’m miscarrying and have another scan to confirm next week and don’t fancy sitting in a waiting room for hours bleeding)

i’ve been taking paracetamol and using hot water bottles but I really wasn’t prepared for this level of pain. I’d just love to hear other experiences to know I’m not alone and for how long this is going to last :( I’m not usually one for painkillers as I always hope things will ease up first but my husband is hunting down some co codamol as paracetamol isn’t even touching it. Just to add it’s the pain that’s really intense the bleeding is not excessively heavy. I’ve read that once I pass the sac it should ease up but might have hoped that would have happened by now

Hi.
Sorry this is happening to you again.

The pain is something either not talked about or not experienced by many.
For me though it was as you described “unmanageable “ and akin to contractions.

Co codamol really didn’t help at all so I did end up in A&E needing gas & air and morphine.
The pain was 10 out of 10, for many hours.
As soon as the sac was expelled, like a switch, the pain stopped immediately.
The strangest thing was that I was less than 12 weeks each time. For that reason, I was disbelieved and treated like I was drug seeking.

I am a bad bitch. Hard as nails, nothing bothers me, periods are horrific. I have never had a day off sick, don’t take any medications and can tolerate great levels of pain.

The extreme and intense pain lasted up to 12 hours at a time.
That happened for each of my (multiple) miscarriages unfortunately.

You may need stronger pain killers.

@MrsNandortheRelentless thank you so much for this. If this doesn’t ease up today I will have to seek some medical advice, it’s just so grim and really not talked about. I really didn’t think I’d have difficulty managing the pain, so this on top of the obvious emotional trauma is so much worse.

I’m so sorry to read how awful your pain was, it very much does feel like contractions just within the respite in between. Our EPU is closed weekends, so the reality is that I’ll be waiting in a&e for many hours before being seen, so I need to weigh up whether I’d be able to handle that or whether I’m better off in bed with the pain

It can be excruciating. My first miscarriage was in hospital under medical management and I was curled up in a ball on the floor because it was so bad. Being in hospital, I was given gas and air which helped a lot. The medical management didn't actually work, so I was sent home and I spontaneously miscarried about a week later. The contractions were not so bad that time so I coped and as soon as the sac passed, it all stopped. When I miscarried for the second time I insisted on the surgical option.

I've had two full labours with my living children and the miscarriage was every bit as painful as those labours.

I’m so sorry to hear what you are going through. The pain of miscarriage isn’t talked about enough, I definitely wasn’t made aware by the EPU how bad it was.

I had medical management at home, and was given really strong painkillers. But they hardly touched it.
It felt like what I imagine labour contractions could feel like. I was curled up in a ball on the bathroom floor. The pain didn’t go until I passed the sac.

I really hope your pain eases soon.

@TodayForTomorrow thank you for this. The validation really helps. I think this is on par with labour for me - the obvious difference being there was a positive outcome so you almost want the pains . I think my body is ramping up to be able to complete this I just so desperately want this to be over. Husband is wonderful and doing everything for me and making me stay in bed, not that I can move anyway, we explained to 11 year old who is very compassionate and caring and he understands, younger child we didn’t and I just feel bad for them as trying not to show them how much pain I’m in as don’t want to scare them. I think if there was a chance I would get a bed and pain relief I would be tempted by hospital, when I was at EPU yesterday a girl was wheeled in who had been in the waiting room in a&e for 11 hours in a wheelchair and that’s just put me off

You aren’t alone. I begged the GP for codeine, which he wouldn’t give me as I’m allergic to it. It says a lot that I was, in that moment, choosing not being able to breathe over miscarriage pain. I’m so sorry this is happening to you x

@Littlegoth so sorry to read this. It really does say a lot, and you shouldn’t have been in that position at all as you should have been given something equal that you could take. Why are we expected to go through this with no pain management. Women’s health is abysmal in general but reading stories of lack of sympathy/ gaslighting over miscarriage is awful.
part of the reason I’m reluctant to go to hospital is when I had my first miscarriage I did- and was told by a doctor that my 3 weeks of tests were wrong, I was just starting my period and I shouldn’t have come. No scan or anything. Was able to get into EPU when they opened on the Monday to confirm but it left a bad memory.

It was explained to me that if “something “ was stuck in the cervix, the uterus contracts to push it out. I was checked and a huge clot was removed… that huge clot was of course followed by many more and then finally the sac so it carried on.

I was asked by the A&E Dr, with his head tilted to one side if maybe I thought my pain is “psychological”.
I wonder how many women in active labour he asked that question to…

@Lemonyfire I'm sorry to hear this has happened to you. I was also sent home with paracetamol and told that it will all pass like a period pain and it wasn't like that for me at all.

I will say though that I experienced severe pain on and off for three weeks after the start of the miscarriage; if the sac doesn't come out/if it continues for more then a week or so I would suggest calling EPU (in my case the severe pain was due to retained products).

I had a surgical miscarriage yesterday, but the miscarriage started naturally on Thursday night. The pain was absolutely excruciating, I arrived at hospital at 7am, I had the surgery at about 10am and in those three hours they wouldn't give me any pain killers as I was nil by mouth. It was absolutely awful and definitely akin to labour contractions. Whilst I was in the waiting bay in theatre, I nearly fainted from the pain, in the end the anaesthetist gave me pain relief in a drip. I then passed something although I don't know what as I was all prepared for surgery, and the pain stopped instantly. I still had the surgery, which I'm glad about as I've not had any pain or bleeding really since. Although, maybe that would have happened anyway as I was probably over the worst of it. Will never know.
Hopefully it doesn't go on too much longer for you @Lemonyfire. I would definitely be seeking out A&E. The gynae doctor said to me yesterday that A&E are usually pretty good at fast tracking you through for this issue, just thought I'd mention that too.

How are you doing now @Lemonyfire?

@fsr111 thank you for checking in and for your messages! I took cocodamol at around 8.30 which took the edge off and by 1 the pain had pretty much gone, I’ve not needed to take anything else today and the bleeding is a bit lighter and no longer pain thank goodness so think I’m over the worst of it ❤️

I have a repeat scan at EPU booked for Thursday ( this was following my scan on Thursday but prior to bleeding starting) so I may call them when they open on Monday and ask them to bring it forward as I think I will have completed it by then, if not I’ll just keep the Thursday appointment as I’ll need to make sure anyway